Meaningful Mechanics - Game Mechanics: Advanced Game Design - page 294

Super Mario Bros. is a great example of gameplay design in which only a handful of
game mechanisms are combined in many interesting challenges. The value of each
mechanism does not arise from its power to represent a realistic aspect of exploring
a forest or a dungeon but from the interesting combinations these mechanics allow.
The exploration challenges offered by the game are almost always the result of com-
binations of simple, reusable gameplay mechanics that are often quite analogous
or symbolic.
The meaning that emerges from symbolic and analogous games is not necessarily
less detailed or less valuable than games that aim for detailed and realistic simula-
tion. On the contrary, as the challenges in game are more abstract, the skills and
knowledge the game addresses are more generic. As we already mentioned in our
discussion on semiotics, in communicating knowledge effectively, language ben-
efits from having many symbolic constructions. In the same way, the message of a
game that is less iconic is more applicable outside the particular setting of the game.
This is especially useful when one wants to express something through a game
that has value beyond the game and its immediate premise. What you learn from
Monopoly applies to many situations both in games and in real life. You would learn
less if Monopoly tried to be a precisely realistic simulation of the real estate market in
Atlantic City, New Jersey (where the original version of Monopoly is set).
Multiple layers of Meaning
The most monumental works of art in human history have different layers of mean-
ing that appeal to different audiences. According to semiotician Umberto Eco,
Shakespeare was a master of this aspect of creating works of art (2004, p. 212-235).
In Shakespeare's time, his plays had a strong popular appeal to the general audience.
They had romance, drama, humor, and tragedy that was accessible to everyone.
At the same time, Shakespeare's plays also appealed to the social and political élite,
because although many of the plays were set in distant times and distant lands, they
frequently commented on current social and political affairs of the day. Moreover,
Shakespeare managed to do all these things while writing beautiful prose and poetry
that is appreciated even today.
Umberto Eco points out that having multiple layers of meaning in a single work of
art is good for three reasons:
n It gives the work a wide appeal to many people.
n It invites the audience to explore the work in different ways (you might say it
creates replay value).
n Contrast and contradictions between different layers of meaning create the
opportunity for humor and irony.